Swinging doors



June 28, 1960 E. CANN SWINGING DOORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 17, 1957 1. g N H E P. E 7 Z 3 v. a a a a o B m B o a v a o o 6 W 5 4 a M, 2 9

June 28, 1960 E. CANN 2,942,660

SWINGING DOORS Filed Dec. 17, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. EDT/Z4120 UAMV.

AGHV T.

United States Patent SWINGING DOORS Edward Cann, 4 Watchung Place, Summit, NJ.

Filed Dec. 17, 1957, Ser. No. 703,439

Claims. (Cl. 160-354) My invention relates to swinging doors of the type comprising a panel of flexible material.

Doors of the above type, which are described in my United States Patent No. 2,279,572, comprise a frame in the form of an inverted L to which is supported along one side edge and the top edge, a flexible panel consisting of a sheet of flexible material, such as rubber, or plastic. In another type of construction, which is less flexible, the panel comprises a bulky envelope of flexible material, such as rubber, stufied with hair. Such stuffed panels are to some extent self-supporting and, provided the door is not too wide, the top edge need not be so supported by a separate frame member.

Although doors of the above type have proved to be satisfactory and have come into extensive use, I have found thatunder some conditions, they have certain disadvantages. More particularly, if the panel is given suiiicient flexibility to obtain all the advantages of this type of door, it is diflicult, under some conditions, to maintain the free or unsupported edges of the panel in their proper positions when the door is in its closed position. This difiiculty may be caused by a difference in air pressure on the sides of the door, to wind pressure and, when the door is of the stuffed type, to temporary deformation of the bulky panel. These difliculties are mainly prevalent at the lower unsupported corner of the panel, but they also occur along the unsupported edges.

In my United States Patent 2,783,833 I have described an articulated stiffening member which to a large extent eliminates these difficulties. However, such stiffening -members are rather expensive, bulky and are subject to damage when hit by trucks using the door.

' The main object of my invention is to provide s ch doors with stiffening members of such a construction that, when the door is in its closed position, the flexible panel and particularly the free edges thereof are maintained in their proper positions under various adverse conditions such as mentioned above.

A further object is to increase the stiffness of a portion of the door panel without decreasing its resiliency.

Another object is to provide a stiifening member which also serves as a readily-replaceable protective member.

A still further object is to provide a stifiening member whose stiffness decreases sharply when it is bent more than a certain amount.

According to the invention 1 provide the flexible panel of such a door with a stiffening member having at least one corrugation extending from the supported side edge of the panel toward one of the unsupported edges and nvhich member is fixedly secured to the side portion of the frame near one end of the corrugations and is secured to the panel along the troughs of the corrugation.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention the stiflening member is in the form of a sheet of flexiblt E -lerial, such as rubber, plastic, or thin metal, provided with a plurality of parallel corrugations extending across the sheet. Such a sheet has one edge fixedly secured to the side portion of the frame and is secured to the panel at points along the troughs of the corrugations, preferably so as to permit a small amount of movement of the sheet relative to the panel'in the direction of the corrugations.

In another preferred embodiment, I make the stiffening member of a sheet of rubber reinforced with fabric and mould in the corrugations leaving a flat strip along one edge for securing the member to'the side portion of the frame.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried with effect I shall describe the same in more detail in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a side-view of a dor embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along line 22 of Figure 1,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along line 33 of Figure 1,

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along line 44 of Figure l, v

Fig. 5 are sectional views of stiffening members of different shapes,

Fig. 6 is a side-view of a door according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, 7

Fig. 7 is a sectional view along line 7-7 of Figure 6, and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale along line 8-8 of Figure 6.

The door shown in Figure 1, which is basically of the construction described in my U.S. Patent 2,279,572, comprises an inverted L-shaped frame 10 to the top and *one side of which is secured a sheet-11 of flexible'material, such as rubber or plastic, which forms the panel. The side of frame 10 is provided at the top and bottom with pivoting means and with spring means (not shown) which return the door to its closed position. As such means are well known in the art and are described in my above-mentioned Patent No. 2,279,572, further description and illustration of the same is believed to be unnecessary.

In accordance with the invention the panel 11-is provided with three stiffening members 12 which are, secured to the panel along the troughs of the corrugations by means of rivets 13 (see Fig. 2) and -haveone end socured to the frame 10 by means of rivets 16 (see Fig. 3). As shown the stiffening members are provided on both sides of the panel, which is preferable, but in some cases it is sul'ficient to place them on only one side.

As shown more clearly in Figure 4 the members 12 are provided with slots 14 for the rivets 13 to thereby permit a small movement of the stiffening members relative to the panel in the direction of the corrugations. One end of each of the members 12 is fixedly secured to the frame 10 (see Fig. 3) by means of curved metal clamps 15 and 17 and rivets 16.

While I have shown the stiffening members 12 secured to the panel 10 by means of rivets 13 and 16, it is preferable in many instances to use bolts or other types of removable fasteners which are well-known in the art.

The stiffening members maintain the :fiexible panel flat when the door is not in use and, as their ends are firmly secured by clamps to the frame 10, they hold the free edges of the panel in their proper positions when the frame is in the closed position. These members also increase the stiffness of the panel without appreciably decreasing its resiliency. This is due to the crossgtgffpnal shape of the stiffening members which causes the resistance {3 bending to decrease when the angle to which the members are benf tzfe Q Siertain amount? tamin mates bu V the advantage'over that of Figure a the references figures of the previous fignres areeusedfio -indicate thesamejparts; As shownffnl Figure 6 the lower i I :witk'ffa j-sheet or apron' 18 :of ;rubber .re-enforced with .fabric. The sheet has ymolded i'therein ,a number of ,eor-

' rugations 19 which extend from the unsupported {edge -?ot the janel to :a point :spaced from 3 the supported :edge eto athereby gprovide I a Hat securing ;portion;, 23 for :elamp- 7 ving fthe sheet to-the frame; As shown iniFig ure 8t the sheets 18 are secured. to the flexible panel 11 at several pointsialong'flre :trough ofyeach corrngation b am ans ofrivets 13. To permit a small amount of'movement loft sheets 18' with respect topanel 11 the rivets 13- pass through slots in sheets 18. v

With :reference to Figure .7 "th the distance between the flat :securing ;;portions 1-23 of sheets 18. 'The'portions 23 are clampedto channel 20 '.by means ofibolts 21 vand metalvstrips 22. ;It will be noted from Figure 6 that the corrugations 19 extend t rto the edge of strips 22. This clamping iconstruetiongihas -zclamps 15' and 17;areeliminated. V V

' Whilel have described my; invention in connection ;-with specific examples and constructional-do notdesire jflexiblepanelzsnpported atitsitopandone sideedgefrom" lframe stifiening means .comprisinga flexible sheet shaving one end-.fixedly-secured to said; siderportion; and

forming a;,-pl urality of v corrugationslextendinglirom the ,dixedlyt-secured endof: the-;sheet toward an: unsupported nedgerot the panel' and-imeans securingQsaijd memberto said panel? along the :troughs of? the corrugations.

2. 'A door comprising a frame having a :sideiportion --.adapted' itd be; pivotally :supported t and a: top portion, a

' iflexibleitpanel" supported at its top' and one side-edge from :said frame, a stiffening member of flexible'material hav ing one'end' fixedly secured to said side -portion-aud"pro-' e frame 10.has welded V to it a metal channelu20, whose width vis thesame .as

11 that the .1curved" ided with a p ura ty n v onu ati n extend n @592 said side edge toward an unsupported edge of the panel and means securing said member to said panel along troughs of the corrugations while permitting, a small 5 amount of movement relative to the panel; V

3. A dong comprising a frame haying/amide ;adapted fo be pivotally supported am atop portion, a flexible panel supported at its top and one side edge from said frame, stifieningmeansgomprising a flexible sheet forming a plurality Qficorrugations extending from the supported side edge toward anunsupported edge of the p L' an zfixed ynclampin saida ifisn n means to the side portion of said frame at on end of the corrugations and means securing said stifiening means to said panel at points along the troughs of said corrugations while permitting some movement of the corrugation rela- V tive to vthe panel.

,4. A ,door pomprising a V 7 d a side p iq ia ap e loe p v ta r,S n s ted flex e p ne suppmt at t p landiones d ed i .saidt a -es ifi em i h omn 19 f? i ?1 asheet provided with a;-p lur ality of" molded eorrugations reaehhavingone end spaced from one-tend ofjthe sheet m 'wPP g-m ti mean fixed 'a aur netm 25 supporting portion of said sheet to the side portion of :the .frame with the vcon ugaticms extending toward an un upp e e r he .pa and mea -sequin $1M :sheet to said -,panel at ,points valongthe troughs of -the corrugations. r V, 5. A swinging door comprisingtan inverted L-s haped frame havinggan upper portion and a side portion, a r ompr in 7 a he o fle bl ater Pn9 =at its top and one side from said frame, asproteetive stiffening member comprising a sheet of flgxiblen ate- -,rialj provided withja pluralityof,moldedeorrfugaflons having one gendspacedfrom one edge of the sheet-to ,form a flat securing portion, meanselamping theis eeur- ;-ing portion of said sheet .to the-side portign of the frame with the'corrugations extending toward the edge of the panel, and means scouring said sheegto the panel at points along thetrongha of theeorrugations while permitting a-small amount of '-;movernent pt-the sheet relative to the panel in thedirectiqnQof the con uga- ,tions.

Rfrencesfiited in the file of this: patent i UNITED STATES :PATENTS 2,018,583 Tobin; Oct. 22,1935 Cann '=Marr, '1957 

